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Approaching a Tipping Point? Herbivore Carrying Capacity Estimates in a Rapidly Changing, Seagrass-Dominated Florida Bay

  • Special Issue: Seagrasses Tribute to Susan Williams
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Abstract

Herbivory is a key structuring force that can have negative, positive, or mixed impacts on seagrasses. The identity and abundance of herbivores, as well environmental conditions such as solar insulation, can influence the impacts of herbivory. To understand the impact of herbivores on turtlegrass in warm, temperate St. Joseph Bay (SJB) in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, we estimated densities of the most common herbivores: variegated sea urchins and green turtles. We also estimated SJB’s herbivore carrying capacities by estimating annual average turtlegrass production and variegated urchin consumption rates and by using previously calculated juvenile green turtle consumption rates and seagrass area. During summer, turtlegrass exhibited compensatory growth due to urchin herbivory, but during winter, turtlegrass growth was negatively affected by urchin grazing. Given our calculated annual turtlegrass production, urchin ingestion rates, and the average urchin density of 5.89 ± 0.09 (SE) urchins ha−1, the turtlegrass production not consumed by urchins can sustain 278.0 juveniles ha−1, or about 556,010 turtles, putting current average green turtle abundance of 26 ± 3.7 individuals ha−1 at 4.0–14.6% of carrying capacity. Previous work in this system has shown that simulated turtle herbivory can reduce turtlegrass productivity—with this potential reduction in production, SJB could not sustain a green turtle population at current urchin densities. Given the rapid global green turtle increase, evaluating densities and future carrying capacities of herbivores in higher latitude seagrass pastures is critical for updating and achieving recovery goals for both green turtles and globally declining seagrass meadows.

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Acknowledgments

We thank current and past members of the Marine Ecology lab at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) for their field and laboratory assistance, in particular Candela Marco-Méndez and Robyn Zerebecki for field and manuscript assistance. We also thank Presnell’s Bayside Marina and RV Resort in Port St. Joe, FL for allowing us to use their boat launch and boat slips. We acknowledge the National Science Foundation Biological Oceanography Program and DISL for funding this project.

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  1. Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL, 36528, USA

    Alexandra R. Rodriguez & Kenneth L. Heck Jr

  2. Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, 5871 USA Drive North, Mobile, AL, 36668, USA

    Kenneth L. Heck Jr

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Correspondence to Alexandra R. Rodriguez.

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Communicated by Melisa C. Wong

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Rodriguez, A.R., Heck, K.L. Approaching a Tipping Point? Herbivore Carrying Capacity Estimates in a Rapidly Changing, Seagrass-Dominated Florida Bay. Estuaries and Coasts 44, 522–534 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00866-2

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